The National Center for Health Statistics linked birth and death records for U.S. infants provides the first opportunity to assess the demographic, socioeconomic and prenatal risk factors associated with deaths due to injuries in infants less than one year of age. U.S. studies of childhood deaths have been limited to the extremely sparse information available on standard death certificates. Both descriptive and risk factor analysis of infant deaths for 1983-1988 are being prepared for publication. Of particular interest is a recent methodological analysis of infant injury deaths that are classified as "undetermined intent." By evaluating risk factor profiles of such injuries, it may be possible to classify these injuries as likely intentional or likely unintentional. This study has enormous public health implications, as such injuries could increase rates of child abuse in the less than one year age group by 10-15% in the U.S.